Meet our Graduate Students
Department of Drama
UCI Drama’s graduate programs are devoted to the development of working professional artists, with particular strength in the training of actors capable of sustaining meaningful careers in an exceptionally competitive field. Through intensive studio practice, rigorous coursework, and close faculty mentorship, students cultivate the skills, insight, creativity, and intellectual depth necessary to contribute to the theatre of the future.
The program has a strong record of professional success. Over the past fifteen years, M.F.A. graduates have gone on to work extensively on and off Broadway, in regional theatres, and in film and television, with many also holding faculty positions in university theatre programs. Graduate study at University of California, Irvine emphasizes not only professional competence, but the development of exceptional artists whose training supports long-term creative and professional impact.
Learn more about our current cohorts of M.F.A. and Ph.D. students below.
M.F.A. Acting
Lourdes Castillo, Acting '27
Lourdes is an M.F.A. actor at UC Irvine. Born and raised in South Central LA, she is a performer passionate about the immigrant and BIPOC community.
Heriberto Cruz, Jr., Acting '27
Heriberto Cruz, Jr. is an interdisciplinary performer, writer, and teaching artist with a deep passion for Shakespearean text, exploring the Latino diaspora, and deeply connecting with all audiences.
Zoe Rose Davidson, Acting
Zoe is a performer and educator drawn to projects with heightened physicality and theatricality. Through her work, she hopes to challenge accepted norms, particularly what it means to be “ladylike.”
Maria (Malu) Dotto Pizatto, Acting '27
Malu Pizzatto is a Brazilian actress and second-year M.F.A. Acting student at UCI. She has extensive experience on stage and television and is thrilled to be part of the 2027 cohort.
Doshima Iyorlu, Acting '27
Doshima is a 2nd-Year M.F.A. candidate from Sacramento. She has been acting and singing since childhood and loves bold storytelling and new work.
Kurt Kanazawa, Acting
Juilliard, MSM, Columbia. Actor, Opera Singer, Playwright. East West Players, Japanese American National Museum. Grey’s Anatomy, The Diary and Letters of Stanley Hayami (Tribeca), No No Girl.
Kathryn Pielstick, Acting
Actor, writer, and producer focused on new-work development. Credits: The Green Knight (UCI), Do Androids Dream of Electric Friends? (Edinburgh Fringe), Please Hang Up (Punchia Productions).
Jake Stiel, Acting '27
Jake Stiel is an actor and singer from New York furthering their training at UC Irvine. After graduating from Bard College, Jake worked as a producer for Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater.
M.F.A. Costume Design
Christian Alvarez, Costume Design '26
I've loved costumes since I first started theater and when I learned how to sew, it was game over.
Lyall Hovey, Costume Design '28
Lyall Hovey (they/them) is a costume design M.F.A. candidate, playwright, and musician whose work investigates intersections of time, body, and gender. They love corsetry, cats, and collaboration.
Kari Setlak, Costume Design '28
Kari Setlak is a first-year costume design grad student and returning undergrad class of 2020 Alumni. Credits include design for local theatre, as well as dressing for Disneyland and Cirque du Soleil.
M.F.A. Lighting Design
Rachel Fields, Lighting Design '28
Rachel Fields is a first-year lighting design M.F.A. candidate at UCI. She received her B.F.A. in Theatre from CU Boulder. Professional credits include: Arizona Opera, The REV, Glimmerglass Festival.
Hayden Kirshbaum, Lighting Design '28
For the past few years, I’ve been a freelance lighting designer in and around LA. My favorite designs include musicals, dance, and new works. I love to find the fun and whimsy that exists around us.
Mac McDermott, Lighting Design '26
Mac McDermott is a lighting designer from North Carolina, specializing in realism, magical realism, and dance design. They have worked in theaters across Southern California, Iowa and Ohio
M.F.A. Music Direction
Roland Perold, Music Direction '27
Roland moved to Irvine (from South Africa) to attend UCI after being selected for the MFA in Music Direction; only one candidate is chosen annually. MD on various projects and enjoying SoCal life.
Jay Real, Music Direction '29
Jezreel “Jay” Real is a first-year M.F.A. candidate in Music Direction at UC Irvine’s Department of Drama, originally from Davis, California.
A pianist and music director, he spent seven years working in Santa Barbara, including with Lights Up! Theatre Company and Out of the Box Theatre Company.
M.F.A. Scenic and Projection Design
Mariko Cilley, Scenic Design '26
Mariko L. Cilley is an Artist and Scenic Designer who blends visual research with world-building to create layered environments that bring stories to life.
Ashley Méndez, Scenic Design '28
Ashley Méndez is a Mexican visual artist and scenic designer. Her work is informed by her multidisciplinary background in writing, performance, and direction—exploring the relationships between text, body, and space.
Genesis Tanner, Scenic Design '28
Genesis Nicole Tanner is an M.F.A. Scenic Design student from El Paso, Texas coming with experience from The Santa Fe Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and El Paso Opera, creating detailed, story-driven environments.
Gretchen Ugalde, Scenic Design '26
I’m a scenic designer who builds worlds shaped by human stories. Growing up between Cebu and the Bay Area made me sensitive to how spaces hold emotion, and I design places that understand the people inside them.
M.F.A. Sound Design
Eric Backus, Sound Design '26
Eric Backus is an award-winning composer and sound designer with a portfolio including theatre, film, streaming media, immersive experiences, concert works, and sound art. Member: IATSE USA829, ASCAP.
Matt Feeney, Sound Design '28
A Sound Designer/Show Control Programmer from Pennsylvania, Matt works in Immersive and Themed Entertainment across many venues and shows like Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights.
Eliza Vedar, Sound Design '28
Eliza Vedar is a sound designer, composer, music director, and pianist based in Southern California pursuing their M.F.A. in Sound Design here at UCI.
Andrew Yoder, Sound Design '26
Andrew Yoder is a sound designer, composer, & DJ from Boise, Idaho, currently pursuing his M.F.A. at UC Irvine. His most recent work has been designing Columbia University’s Measure for Measure.
M.F.A. Stage Management
Maya Lavin, Stage Management '28
Maya Lavin is a first year M.F.A Stage Management student from El Paso, Texas. She hopes to one day work in children's theatre and show our youth that there is a whole world of creativity to explore.
DJ Maloney, Stage Management '26
DJ Maloney is a third year M.F.A. Stage Management student who has a focus on stage management, directing and producing. He'd like to thank his mentors, family and friends for all they've done for him.
Jo McEvoy, Stage Management '26
Jo McEvoy is a current Stage Management graduate student with a flair for the funny. Prior credits include: Huzzah!, Gloria, Twelfth Night, Men on Boats, and Yellow Face. Ici, la vie est belle!
Sammie Moore, Stage Management '27
Sammie is a 2027 M.F.A. candidate in Stage Management. She enjoys working on a variety of works, from dance to Shakespeare to experimental performance.
Daniel Rosales, Stage Management '26
A Central Valley stage manager devoted to Latine stories, shaping work across theatre, dance, and live events. Grateful to grow and collaborate in his final year at UCI.
Elissa Saldivar, Stage Management '28
Elissa Saldivar is a first year M.F.A stage management student. She enjoys working in theatre because it brings people together and is passionate about working on projects that reflect important topics.
Jolana Villarreal, Stage Management '27
Jolana has worked in professional, academic, and children’s theatre, blending artistic and technical skills. A passion for collaboration drives her to help bring productions vividly to life on stage.
Ph.D. in Drama
Leah Anderson
Leah Anderson was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and grew up on the Central Coast of California. She researches contemporary American theatre and the politics of representation.
An-Ru Chu
An-Ru Chu, a UC Irvine PhD candidate, researches performance, Cold War memory, and migration in Taiwan. She has worked as a performer, playwright, dramaturg, translator, and academic organizer.
Diana Fathi
Theatre artist and scholar focused on feminist performance, archival visibility, and the politics of representation.
Tianding He
Tianding He is a scholar and director exploring XR performance and cyborg embodiment, using practice-as-research to shape her creative work and leadership of B·O·N·D International Performance Festival
Marketa Nicole McCoy
Marketa Nicole McCoy is from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Her research investigates how theatrical representations contribute to broader conversations about violence, racial justice, and collective trauma.
Vicky Michalopoulou, '28
Vicky Michalopoulou is an actress and multi-modal artist-scholar and Ph.D. candidate. UCLA TFT graduate-level Acting for the Camera alum. Vicky's practice and research focus on Acting.
Emily Parise
Emily Parise is a Drama Ph.D. candidate studying Shakespeare, stage props, and dramaturgy. Her dissertation, “Visible Bullets,” studies the politics and legacies of Shakespeare’s history plays.
